Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Cinders of Fate.
Author's Note: I've always been into Pokémon, even now. This series just keeps giving me a lot of smiles even if the community is... Uh... Lively to put it lightly.
This fanfic was conceived after I had a few talks and encouragement from Zorua Trainer Author FriTik in his server and over time, well, I certainly wrote and edited this greatly to the point that I'm now posting it for you to enjoy.
Don't worry! I'm still working on Child of Azimuth! But life has not been that kind for me these months... Sorry 😅.
-EmblemKing009
Chapter 1: Flames and Cinders.
Weightlessness, that's the feeling that made him wake up, and what greets him is nothing but a dark void as far as his eyes could see, with nothing but static as far as his ear could register, that was not how he expected to wake up.
He opened his mouth trying to call out to anyone that may be near him, but it was of no use; his body wasn't moving either, and he could only feel the cold darkness embracing him.
Where was he? He certainly would remember being pulled here— Wait a moment!
Who was he!?
In his sudden panic, his limbs moved, but it didn't register, he just rushed them to his head and began trying to dig through his mind, desperately looking for his identity.
It was futile.
His name… His life… Anything… He couldn't recall any of it, only that he was a human.
What was happening here!? Why was this happening to him!?
In a panic, he curled up, and in doing so, he started feeling smaller… And smaller…
"... Up"
That… That wasn't his voice, he was sure of it.
"Wake up!" Now that voice was louder and it was joined by another.
Then, the darkness started giving way to light, blinding him briefly.
"Please! Wake up!" The voice pleaded, its sound getting clearer as the light shone brighter.
Who could it be? The voice sounded very familiar to him; it bought a warm feeling of safety and nostalgia in a way he couldn't place.
"Don't leave me!" the voice pleaded one again, tone getting desperate as the light got brighter.
He opened his mouth, but just before a sound could come out…
"Open your eyes!"
That shriek caused the darkness to secede completely, giving way for the light to consume his eyes, forcing them to close.
When he opened them again, he was in a world covered by blurs, nothing regarding his surroundings was discernible for a few seconds before he found himself surrounded by blurred figures, which he determined were other humans.
These humans were muttering something that he couldn't even understand, but their tone was one of desperation and worry, more than likely directed at him.
One figure was very close to himself, it was a female figure, and her tone was by far the most desperate of them all. But, like with the others, her figure was blurred beyond recognition.
Did he know these people? Is that why he was surrounded by them? If so… why was he unable to see them clearly? The questions kept coming and there was no answer to any of them.
Suddenly, the visage darkened around him, and he felt like he was falling. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for an impact that never came, instead, he found himself standing on a chamber with semi-transparent, but reflective golden platforms forming the floor, surrounded by a golden light decorated with clouds on all sides with a light, relaxing breeze.
It was a beautiful sight; at least until he looked down and saw his reflection, the sight of it making him flinch.
He was a human, he was sure of it! But the features he saw on the platform's reflective surface…
They weren't human, at all; Short limbs covered in fur, a long fluffy scarf around his face; or was it a muzzle? He couldn't remember the exact term for it, a mane sat on top of his head too.
He looked like a… Zorua? Yeah, that was the name of the Pokémon, but in the sudden image he recalled, Zorua looked very different from his current appearance.
He was white where he should be black, the fur was much smoother, the fur scarf wasn't present in his memory and the mane on top was fuller and had some… spectral features.
He shook his head, this had to be a dream! Surely he would wake up any moment now in his bed with his human body and his memories intact! He just had to force himself to!
But his attempts bore no fruit; he wasn't human again, he wasn't in a bed and was certainly not waking up surrounded by the figures of the previous visage.
But he kept trying to wake up, several times, but it never worked, and it only served to exhaust him to the point of collapse; which made him feel quite frustrated.
Suddenly, a pink light shone in front of him; from it, several wisp-like creatures spawned, they stood there for a minute before encircling him briefly; then they floated off into the unknown lands below just as the pink light vanished.
Well, all but one that is.
That lonely remaining wisp floated lazily in front of him, looking like a leaf flying in a breeze before it settled beside him; after which it grew, taking a vaguely familiar shape.
Feeling the exhaustion becoming unbearable, he closed his eyes just before he could see what became of the wisp.
Suddenly he felt like he was gently floating down, to where? He didn't know, not even when he felt the ground below him.
He felt a gentle breeze, but at this point, he couldn't bother to open his eyes; he was tired and ready to just lose any semblance of consciousness.
"Hey! You alright!?"
That voice… it wasn't like the one from his visage, this one belonged to a male figure and it was clearer, and much, much nearer.
Heavy stomps followed before he felt a nudge on his side, but he couldn't open his eyes; he had little energy.
"You're alive, thank the great ones…" The voice said, relief evident on it. "I'd better carry you both into the hut, you need treatment!"
He felt himself being lifted off the ground and into a very strong, but gentle embrace; one which made him feel safer than before.
Finally, exhaustion won out and his mind completely went into deep sleep but devoid of any dreams or visions.
Once he finally got a semblance of energy, he blinked himself awake before yawning; after which, he began to analyze his surroundings.
He didn't know how long he slept, but he figured it must have been quite a while because he was in a room shrouded by the darkness of the night, illuminated by the moonlight through a narrow window.
He stood there for a minute, feeling lost… then he recalled that voice he'd heard earlier; mentioning taking him to some sort of hut. This must be the hut the voice was talking about. He thought to himself before resuming his analysis.
Looking around, he noticed a bowl of water and a small tray with berries nearby, possibly meant for him to eat, but should he? He was in a stranger's abode, and he didn't know what his intentions were.
What if those berries are not safe to eat? What if that water is contaminated?. Those questions plagued him, making him look away from the tray straight into something that made him freeze.
It was another Pokémon on the other side of the room, it was a Fox Pokémon like himself, but this one had yellow fur, larger ears that had a huge amount of red fur coming from them and a much fuller tail with a red tip.
That's… A Fennekin, right? He wondered, then frowned. How do I know that? He winced as a slight headache suddenly assaulted his brain; shaking his head, he focused on the unconscious pokemon in front of him instead of trying to dwell on why or why not he knew what it was.
However, the longer he stared at them, the more he felt that they were connected somehow.
Why was that? He didn't remember anyone in his life, so why were they connected?
This question piqued his curiosity enough for him to awkwardly stand up and move towards the other Pokémon for a better look.
Or at least tried to before stumbling on the first step.
He frowned, moving with four legs was difficult; but he must face this challenge! He needs to!
He once again stood up and focused to keep himself steady before once again beginning to walk carefully.
Once he was in front of the other Pokémon, he stared for a bit before he attempted to speak at it.
"H-hello?" His tone was unsteady and hoarse, almost as if he had never spoken before.
But he had; hadn't he?
He couldn't ponder on it much longer; first because he felt it was a silly worry and second because the Fennekin grunted.
"Hello?" he tried again.
That got another reaction; this time one of their eyes opened and stared at him for a bit before both widened in surprise.
Then the Fennekin jumped and screamed.
From their tone, she was a girl; a girl that could scream loud enough to hurt his ears and shrill enough to cause ringing.
The Fennekin stared at him with wide eyes for a bit while he fought to stop the ringing in his ears; that went on for a few moments until she called down just enough so he could speak.
"Hi…" he started, carefully.
The Fennekin stared at him suspiciously; but slowly and cautiously, she approached.
"Uh… Hi? Who are you?"
He froze, that voice was familiar too! What? Do I know her or something? Why does her voice sound so familiar!? He screamed internally, yet another question in his head for later.
But he had to answer; so he did while looking at her nervously "I… I don't know… I can't recall anything… Or anyone…"
At first, she seemed to be even more suspicious, but after analyzing him her eyes turned to realization and sympathy.
"I… I see… Well… I'm sorry!" She fumbled, her voice unsteady.
"Don't… Don't beat yourself over it." he tried to assure her, even smiling as genuinely as he could in this situation "It's fine."
"If… If you say so…" she answered, frowning with uncertainty; shifting on her paws almost absently as she seemed to look around and take in their surroundings.
He chuckled "It's fine, don't worry!"
Having said that however, he looked at her directly, this was something he needed to ask "You know your name… right?"
She blinked "Oh, uh… Yes! I'm Luna!" She finally answered before frowning. "I think? I… I can't…"
"I think it's a good name!" he said "It fits you!"
Unbeknownst to him, his mane was flaring up, almost like a flame. Luna stared at it for a bit, it was almost… hypnotic how his mane danced around like a fire…
This was not lost on him "What is it?" He asked, a little confused.
She blinked, before facing him "Oh… I'm sorry… It's just your mane… it's behaving a lot like a fire."
"It is?" he asked, trying to look up to it.
Suddenly, his mane flared up before it subsided, returning to its place on his head.
"I… I don't know what I did…" he said meekly.
"...Cinders…" Luna muttered.
"Huh?" What was that?
"When a flame dies, what lies in its place is the white cinders of what was burnt" Luna said; her eyes then lit up with what could only be described as excitement. "That's it!"
"What is it?" he asked, completely lost.
"You don't know your name right?" Luna inquired.
"I don't," he answered, his tone and speech slow and unsure. "As I've said before."
"Then I just found one that fits you!" She announced proudly "Cinder!"
He blinked. Cinder… As in… the things the fire leaves behind once it dissipates? That's how I'm going to be named now? He wondered internally.
He pondered on it for a moment.
Cinder… He was certain that it was the farthest thing away from his lost name; but at the same time, he felt that it actually fit him for whatever reason, even so, he couldn't shake the desire to know his real name.
But on the other paw, he needed some sort of identifier. So he looked at Luna's expectant eyes. "So… What do you say?" She asked, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Yes" He finally answered, hoping his hesitation wasn't audible "I'll take Cinder as my name"
Luna's eyes sparkled and she began jumping around "Alright! It is nice to meet you Cinder!"
"It is nice to meet you too Luna" The newly named Cinder answered genuinely, smiling at her with similar enthusiasm.
Unbeknownst to them, someone was in the room's entrance. And that someone was smiling at the. "Well, look who decided to wake up at last!"
Cinder and Luna froze and looked at the entrance to the room.
There —barely illuminated by the moon that came from the window— was a tall creature with four discernible arms; each carrying something of a different silhouette.
If Cinder's memory was not failing him, this was a Machamp; which prompted him to frown again, mainly out of frustration. It would be very nice to know why I can identify these pokemon, yet I don't remember anything else about myself. He thought to himself.
It was a very tough looking Machamp as well; though that image of strength was tempered due to the fact that he was currently looking at them with clear worry in his eyes.
Cinder couldn't help but back away from the approaching mass of muscles, and apparently Luna had similar thoughts.
"Hey look kiddos; I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise!" The Machamp said in a tone that could be best described as fatherly.
"How do we know you're not going to hurt us?" Cinder squeaked, taking further steps back.
"I was the one that brought you two here. I found you two passed out at the entrance to the Marshlands." He explained calmly and with an even tone of voice, trying to help keep them calm as he talked.
It must have worked somewhat, he felt that the Machamp could be trusted; but Cinder didn't know why.
"Look kiddos, I know you must be scared, but I'm not gonna harm you in any way." The Machamp insisted. "Trust me."
There were several awkward seconds of silence as Cinder and Luna refused to move and the Machamp wisely did not approach them, making no move to close the distance between himself and them as the two fox pokemon remained tense.
The standoff was swiftly interrupted by a growl that came from Cinder's stomach.
The concern in Machamp's eyes intensified. "You two haven't eaten anything?"
Cinder slowly and hesitantly nodded, as did Luna; neither of them moved away from where they stood.
Machamp carefully lowered what he was holding in his arms, which turned out to be a good stack of firewood, a jug of water, a parcel and a… Pokémon wrapped in a blanket?
That other Pokémon looked like a small human, a kid; Machop, his mind provided. Again, why can I identify these Pokémon but I cannot identify myself!? he screamed internally.
His musings and grumblings were swiftly interrupted when Machamp set two trays in front of himself and Luna.
"I left these ones here just in case you woke up hungry" he explained "I need to finish my work around the hut, I'll check on you two later"
Once he said that, he picked everything he was holding before and swiftly left the room; leaving a couple of nervous fox Pokémon behind him.
Cinder looked at the assortment of berries in front of him, they did look appetizing indeed, but he was still weary—he had just been dropped here without a single memory of his life! Not even his name!— but at the same time…
He was hungry, very, very hungry and a look at Luna revealed she was on the same ropes as him. Maybe I should take the risk; better me than anyone else. He thought.
Carefully, he approached the plate of berries and rather clumsily picked one with his teeth, sat down and took a big bite.
His eyes widened! It tasted amazing! At that moment, Cinder forgot his worries and started scarfing down the assortment of berries.
He was in paradise, or at least something close to it as the multitude of flavors and textures danced around his mouth. It was surreal.
Letting out a content sigh, Cinder laid down, his stomach no longer grumbling and feeling very much full and satisfied. I don't know what those berries were, but it was delicious!
He looked at Luna, who had also decided to eat, though she did so calmly and delicately, traits that, for some reason, tickled at his memory.
Once again, this prompted a frown. That behavior seems familiar… But where did I…. His mind drew a blank once again; this time accompanied with a wave of frustration.
How could he recall all of these random trivias and names yet he couldn't figure out anything else about himself!?. Was this a joke or something?
Thinking about something, he tried to see what he could try and remember, but yet again; nothing about himself, but he had figured out so many Pokémon species, moves and stuff instead.
This couldn't stand, not anymore. He tried once again, this time not willing to let anything stop him from finding the faintest memory.
Come on… please! There has to be something in here! With that thought, he tried harder, fangs clenching painfully on his muzzle, fighting through the seemingly endless sea of blank space in his mind, looking desperately for his answers.
Unbeknownst to him, his mane flared once again, and it wasn't just a small dance like earlier. It was like an enormous explosion slowly filling the room all the way up to the roof.
He kept prodding, digging deeper through the blanks, ignoring the pain, unwilling to stop until he—.
A sharp pain erupted from the back of his mind, forcing his eyes open and his flaring mane to stand upright, then he screamed, and he did so until pain faded, after which he collapsed and shrank to himself.
What had… happened? One moment, he was deep within his mind, looking for something and now he… he felt small, so very small and powerless to even face anyone, much less pay attention. I just… I just wanted to remember… Was it too much to ask for?
He felt someone nudge at his side, and opening his eyes he saw it was a very worried looking Luna "Are you OK Cinder?" She asked, voice a bit shaky "Your mane was flaring up a lot and then you…"
"I wanted to remember" He told her, eyes beginning to shed tears. She looked at him with a slightly surprised expression, likely not expecting that answer.
He looked away from her just as the tears began to shed uncontrollably "I'm sorry about that! It's just… I can seem to recall so many things I'm seeing, from the berries to the Pokémon to certain mannerisms but… but…"
Heavy stomps interrupted his apology as the Machamp quickly approached the room "You're lucky my boy is a heavy sleeper, what happened?" he asked, eyes wide with concern as he looked between the two.
"I'm sorry Mr. Machamp… I just wanted to remember!" Cinder replied, looking at the Machamp with his teary eyes.
The Mach Pokémon's eyes widened "You don't remember… what do you not remember kiddo?" he asked, slowly approaching him.
"Anything about me, from my family, my past… Not even my name…" Cinder replied, curling into a small ball of fluff.
Machamp sat down in front of him and carefully picked him up with one arm "You poor kid… I'm sorry you have to go through this…" he told Cinder, giving the small Zorua a look of pure parental concern before pulling him into a hug.
"Uh… Mr. Machamp?" Luna said slowly, almost sounding guilty "I don't really remember anything about myself either…"
There was a small jerk on Machamp's body, not that Cinder blamed him, that was news to him as well. So… Luna doesn't remember anything either…
"Oh dear one above… What even happened to you two to end like this?" The Machamp asked "Want a hug and some reassurance too?"
Luna let out a faint mhm and Cinder saw Machamp pick her up as well "You poor kids… no wonder you were so scared of me earlier" he muttered.
"W-we're sorry, but you…" Cinder tried to say before one of Machamp's arms shushed him.
"There is no need for apologies on your end, kid, if anything, I should be the one to apologize for scaring you earlier" he reassured them "After all, I was the one who brought you here, and I kinda surprised you earlier"
The Machamp's tone was not what he expected from such a burly figure, even more so now. It sounded… protective, reassuring and most of all, fatherly.
It made Cinder feel at ease, enough to just let all the tears in his eyes fall, a couple of sobs also confirmed Luna felt the same.
Machamp hugged them gently, yet firmly "There, there, just let it all out kiddos, no need to have those emotions weigh you down" he reassured "I'll do my best to help you, everything will be alright"
For several minutes, Cinder and Luna both let their tears fall while Machamp hugged and reassured them. When it was over, Machamp let both of them down.
"You two need names kiddos, even if they aren't your real names, you need something to identify yourselves with" Machamp said, wiping off the tear trails they had left on his chest.
"We already got ourselves names, sir" Luna answered before sitting proudly "I'm Luna" She announced, smiling.
Machamp chuckled "Nice one, girl, definitely fits you perfectly!" he said. Then, he looked at Cinder "What about you, boy? What did you decide to call yourself?"
Cinder fidgeted slightly, but nonetheless answered "Cinder, my name's Cinder, sir" This name still gives me an odd feeling I can't place…
"Huh, fits extremely well considering your color" Machamp commented, before shrugging and pointing at himself "My name is Hilbert, helping hand of the village and proud father of one kid"
Oh, so Machop is his kid… Cinder mused, of course this Machamp was fatherly, he had the experience for it. He now felt a lot of respect for Hilbert.
Hilbert cleared his throat "Now, is there something you two need at the moment? It is getting kind of late and I have a lot of job to do tomorrow"
Cinder thought for a bit, the room had water for them to drink, some food and two makeshift beds for him and Luna, there was really nothing he could think of that he needed at the moment "I don't have anything I need at the moment sir"
"Me neither," Luna added.
Machamp nodded "Alright, I'll see you both in the morning! Sleep well kiddos!" he said before he turned around and started leaving the room.
"Goodnight Mr. Hilbert!" Cinder and Luna called out at the same time, Hilbert didn't turn around, but he gave them two thumbs up before moving out of sight.
Now alone, Cinder sighed and began moving to the same straw bed he had woken up to Time for some good sleep…
"Cinder?" Luna called, making him stop"Can I tell you something?"
"Uh… Sure!" Cinder said, looking at her "What is it, Luna?" he asked, smiling at her.
Luna looked down at her paws, clearly apprehensive. Then, she sighed "I'm sorry for not telling you about my lack of memories, I was nervous at seeing a Pokémon's face staring at me while waking up and I…"
Cinder immediately understood what she was trying to say. "You thought I was going to hurt you" he said "Right?"
Luna said nothing, which only confirmed it for him. Not that I blame her, I was actually pretty close to her when she woke up so…
"I know you're not that kind of person!... Or mon… You were just curious, I get it now!" She said urgently.
"I don't blame you Luna" He said smiling at her in reassurance "It's fine!"
Luna looked at him with a bit of surprise "You mean it Cinder?"
"Of course! You're my friend after all!" Cinder told her easily before his brain caught up with what he said.
Friend… Yeah, Luna is a friend, but why do I feel we knew each other before this? . Cinder mused, but he decided to push it aside for now.
He didn't need another episode like before.
He couldn't muse it for much further, as Luna was basically hugging him "Of course we are! Thank you Cinder!"
He smiled at the Fennekin "You're welcome Luna"
She kept hugging him for several minutes before they finally broke apart. After which, both yawned and moved to their makeshift beds.
"Goodnight Luna…" Cinder said, eyes feeling heavy and tired as he laid down on the straw bed.
"Night Cinder…"
After that exchange, Cinder closed his eyes and let sleep claim him for the night.
Author's Note: And that's the start of this new adventure! What do you all think?
Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't been active, but a lot of stuff has piled up and I needed to tackle all of it with my family. But I've mostly resolved it by now and if nothing comes out of the blue, I may be able to post consistently. At which rate I don't know but I'll try.
Oh, I also have a Twitter account where I post
fanart and Nintendo Switch clips sometimes! I'm Emblem_King_009 there!.
Thank you for reading! Stay safe Y'all!
-EmblemKing009